Waste absorbing formulation with communication capabilities and toilet systems for use thereof

ABSTRACT

A toilet apparatus has a waste material receiving bowl with an opening to receive an absorbent media and indicator and a sensor to detect a presence of the indicator in the material receiving bowl when the indicator is present in the material receiving bowl and transmit a signal indicating the indicator is present in the material receiving bowl. A control circuit receives the signal from the sensor, processes the signal to determine the indicator is present in the material receiving bowl, and causes one or more actions to be taken by the toilet apparatus based on determining the indicator is present in the material receiving bowl.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application takes priority to U.S. Patent Application No.62/447,192, filed Jan. 17, 2017, entitled Variable Density WasteAbsorbing Formulation with Communication Capabilities Suited for VariousToilet Systems, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein byreference.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

COMPACT DISK APPENDIX

Not Applicable.

FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to waste management devices,and more particularly, to a toilet apparatus, absorbent media withcommunication properties for the toilet apparatus, and methods of theiruse.

BACKGROUND

Toilets, which may also be referred to as commodes, generally refer todevices used for the disposal of human waste. Flush toilets are a commontype of toilet that uses water to facilitate removal of the waste to aprocessing site, such as a septic system, for its decomposition. Morerecently, however, other toilet designs have been implemented that can,among other things, reduce water usage levels required for theiroperation. Examples of such toilets include composting toilets thatprocess the waste locally, and chemical based toilets that use chemicalsto deodorize the waste until it can be moved to another location forprocessing. Nevertheless, each of these toilet designs require specialhandling techniques to ensure the safe movement of waste to a sanitarylocation for the toilet's continued use.

Toilet systems have little regard for the medium used to contain,transport, or in some cases treat human waste. For example, aconventional water based toilet is typically connected to a potablewater line that is pressurized to a sufficient level to transfer waterinto the water toilet to function. The toilet is dependent upon theinstaller and the fresh water treatment facility to supply water for itto function. In a conventional toilet with a receiving bowl and aholding tank, a float valve is utilized to ensure the water tank isadequately filled for ensuing use. The float valve in the tank wouldfunction the same way if a different liquid formulation were introducedinto the tank.

A portable toilet closet found at outdoor events or construction sites,for example, utilize a blend of water and chemicals that areprofessionally prepared to ensure user and public safety. Modernformulations have replaced the wide-spread use of formaldehyde. Thesemodern formulations may comprise bactericidals, organic compounds,fragrances, and dyes. The user assumes the solution is safe—both totheir person and to the environment.

A more personal use composting toilet requires the manufacturer of thetoilet to instruct the owner how to install and operate their toiletsystem. An important instruction is to properly vent a composting toiletoutside the dwelling. Such ventilation is an attempt to minimizeairborne particulate and odors inside the dwelling. The maker of thecomposting toilet may also instruct the owner of a recommended dry mediathat works best in their toilet. It is up to the owner and user of thecomposting toilet to maintain the safe and effective function of theircomposting toilet inside their dwelling.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a toilet apparatus has a waste material receiving bowlwith an opening to receive an absorbent media and indicator and a sensorto detect a presence of the indicator in the material receiving bowlwhen the indicator is present in the material receiving bowl andtransmit a signal indicating the indicator is present in the materialreceiving bowl. A control circuit receives the signal from the sensor,processes the signal to determine the indicator is present in thematerial receiving bowl, and causes one or more actions to be taken bythe toilet apparatus based on determining the indicator is present inthe material receiving bowl.

In another aspect, a method for a toilet apparatus includes providing awaste material receiving bowl with an opening to receive an absorbentmedia and indicator and detecting, with a sensor, a presence of theindicator in the material receiving bowl when the indicator is presentin the material receiving bowl and transmitting a signal indicating theindicator is present in the material receiving bowl. The method includesreceiving the signal from the sensor at a control circuit, processingthe signal at the control circuit to determine the indicator is presentin the material receiving bowl, and transmitting a control signal fromthe control circuit to cause one or more actions to be taken by thetoilet apparatus based on determining the indicator is present in thematerial receiving bowl.

In another aspect, a waste absorbing media for use in a toilet includesa fibrous absorbent material and an indicator that can be detected by asensor of the toilet to indicate presence of the indicator in thetoilet.

In another aspect, a waste absorbing media is for use in a drycomposting toilet. The waste absorbing media comprises at least 50% byvolume of a fibrous absorbent material and between 0.5% to 5.0% of anindicator component that is ferromagnetic and corrodible.

In another aspect, a method for producing a waste absorbing media withcommunication capabilities comprises providing a fibrous absorbentmaterial, heating the fibrous absorbent material, contacting the heatedfibrous absorbent material with a liquid solution, and adding anindicator that is ferromagnetic and corrodible, wherein the indicatorcan be detected by a sensor of a toilet to indicate presence of theindicator in the toilet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C are perspective, side, and front views,respectively, illustrating an example toilet apparatus with its lid inthe closed position according to the teachings of the presentdisclosure.

FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C are perspective, side, and front views,respectively, illustrating an example toilet apparatus with its lid inthe open position according to the teachings of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate cut-away views showing several features of theexample toilet according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a cut-away view showing several other features of theexample toilet according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example control circuit that may beused by the toilet apparatus according to the teachings of the presentdisclosure.

FIGS. 6A-6D illustrate an example process that may be performed by theapplication according to the teachings of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram of an example computer device for usewith the example embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Current toilet designs have often required special handling techniquesfor the safe and sanitary removal of waste. Nevertheless, currentlyimplemented solutions for this problem have required the use of one ormore additional materials that could potentially be harmful to theenvironment. For example, flush toilets often require the use ofrelatively large amounts of water, which has been recognized as avaluable commodity, particularly in locations where water has become ascarce resource. Chemical toilets use less water than their flush toiletcounterparts, but require the use of chemicals that typically hindersthe efficient decomposition of the waste, even after the waste isremoved from the toilet. Additionally, composting toilets may use one ormore types of microbes to decompose the waste in place. Yet thecomposting process provided by these microbes can often generateunpleasant odors that may require additional mechanisms, such asventilation systems, thus limiting the locations at which thesecomposting toilets may be used.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution to theseproblems, among other problems, using a toilet apparatus and method thatkeeps waste material separated from the components of the toiletapparatus, and using agitation such as mechanical vibration to enhancemixing of the waste material with an absorbent media as it is introducedinto the toilet such that odors normally associated with the wastematerial are minimized as well as providing enhanced sterilization bydehydrating the waste material immediately upon entry of the wastematerial into the toilet.

Embodiments of the present disclosure include using an indicator sensorin the toilet apparatus in combination with an adsorbent media providedwith an indicator or other communication media that can be sensed by theindicator sensor. Different types of indicator sensors and communicationmedia may be used in such a toilet system to detect the presence (orlack thereof) of the absorbent media in the toilet system and, in someembodiments, one or more amounts of the absorbent media. In one example,the indicator sensor is a proximity sensor that can detect a presence ofthe indicator (or lack thereof) and/or an amount of indicator within aproximity of the indicator sensor but does not require the indicator tocontact the proximity sensor for the detection. One or more indicatorsensors each send one or more control signals to a control circuit ofthe toilet. Each control signal contains a value of, or other dataidentifying, a detected level or other measurement taken by theindicator sensor. One or more of the values or other data in eachcontrol signal indicate the presence or lack of presence of theindicator and optionally an amount of indicator when the indicator ispresent.

The control circuit processes the one or more control signals todetermine, based on the values or other data in the control signals,whether an indicator is present or not present in a detection zone orother portion of the toilet and optionally determines an amount of theindicator present. The control circuit determines one or more actions totake, or causes one or more actions to be taken by the toilet apparatus,based on the determination the indicator is present or is not present inthe detection zone or other portion of the toilet and optionally basedon an amount of indicator determined to be present in the detection zoneor other portion of the toilet.

The toilet apparatus and methods disclosed herein use an absorbent mediathat is received in a receiving bowl, bag, or other container of thetoilet. The absorbent media absorbs moisture from the waste materialand, with agitation, at least substantially covers the waste material.The absorbent media may include any suitable type of material thatabsorbs moisture and at least substantially covers the waste withagitation or the import of vibrational energy. Examples of absorbentmedia include a granular material, such as sand, pumice, pet litter,zeolite, clay, sepiolite, wood, paper, crushed cellulose, etc. In oneembodiment, the absorbent media is an absorbing fiber, such as wood orcellulose fibers, which may take one or more forms, including a pelletform, chip form, and/or ground/dust form.

The absorbent media includes or is provided with (together orseparately) an indicator component or compound that can be detected byan indicator sensor of the toilet apparatus. The indicator is acomponent or compound that, when detected by an indicator sensor,indicates the presence or lack of presence of absorbent media in a wastematerial receiving bowl, bag, or other waste material receivingcontainer of the toilet apparatus. In some embodiments, the indicator,when detected by the indicator sensor, also indicates an amount of theindicator that is present. Thus, the indicator communicates itspresence, and optionally its status, to the indicator sensor. Thatpresence and optional status is, in turn, communicated to a controlcircuit of the toilet apparatus.

In one embodiment, the indicator may be, for example, a ferrousmaterial, such as iron particles or another powder, particle, or grainwith ferromagnetic properties. A ferromagnetic property of the indicatorallows detection of the indicator, for example, through the use of aninductive, capacitive, or magnet detecting proximity indicator sensor.In another embodiment, the indicator is a nonferrous metal, such asaluminum or copper, that can be detected, for example, by an inductiveor capacitance detecting indicator sensor or other indicator sensor. Inanother embodiment, the indicator is an alloy that can be detected, forexample, by an inductive or capacitance detecting indicator sensor orother indicator sensor. In another embodiment, the indicator is abiologic that can be detected by a biologic detecting indicator sensor.In another embodiment, the indicator is a paramagnetic or diamagneticcompound.

In some embodiments, the indicator has one or more properties orcharacteristics that react with environmental conditions of the wastematerial and time of exposure. The characteristic may be, for example, acorrosive characteristic that causes the indicator to corrode, adissolving characteristic that causes the indicator to dissolve, a decaycharacteristic that causes the indicator to decay, a rustingcharacteristic that causes the indicator to rust, a characteristic thatcauses the indicator to be reduced or eliminated from exposure toultraviolet light, or another characteristic that causes the indicatorto be reduced or eliminated immediately or over time, including based ona selected action by the toilet apparatus.

In one example, the indicator has a corrosive characteristic. Thecorrosive characteristic can be used with a toilet system equipped withan indicator sensor to detect the presence or lack of presence, andoptionally remaining useful life, of the absorbent media or other toiletwaste treatment by detecting the corrosion status of the indicator andthereby determine a state of use of the absorbent media. When theindicator with a corrosive characteristic is exposed to urine or otherliquid, for example, the indicator will corrode, decay, or otherwisedissolve over a period of time. By determining a current state ofcorrosion, decay, or dissolve of the indicator (e.g. through use of anindicator sensor in the toilet system to sense an inductance,capacitance, or magnetic field of or impacted by the indicator) andcomparing that sensed state to a known state in which the indicator isnot corroded, decayed, or dissolved, a control circuit of the toiletsystem can determine how much of the indicator is present or remains andthereby determine a remaining useful life of the absorbent media byusing the portion of present or remaining indicator as corresponding toa portion of present or remaining useful life of the absorbent media.

When used with an agitating, waterless toilet in one example, theindicator sifts through some or all of the absorbent media in the bag orother container to the bottom or a bottom portion of the absorbent mediain the bag or other container. In this example, the bottom or bottomportion of the bag or other container may include some lighter and lessdense absorbing particles, at or below which the indicator may siftand/or collect. This process may be encouraged by agitation, gravity,and optionally magnetic forces.

In one embodiment, the indicator is present between one tenth of onepercent and ten percent of the total volume of the absorbent media. Forexample, a package containing 100 ml of absorbent media may have anamount of indicator that is 1 percent (1 ml) of the total volume of theabsorbent media. In another example, between 0.01 grams to 30 grams ofindicator is included in a package containing 100 ml of absorbent media.The quantity of indicator to be provided with the absorbent materialoptionally may be selected based, at least in part, on a detection levelor detection zone of an indicator sensor in the target toilet system.

In another embodiment, a treatment is provided with or to the absorbentmedia. Such treatments include a bactericide, waste treatment, malodortreatment, enzymatic solution, or any combination of the foregoing.

Toilet System

FIGS. 1A through 2C illustrate an example toilet 100 according to oneembodiment of the present disclosure. In particular, FIGS. 1A and 2Ashow perspective views of the toilet 100, FIGS. 1B and 2B show sideviews of the toilet 100, and FIGS. 1C and 2C show front views of thetoilet 100. The toilet 100 includes a housing 102 for housing a wastematerial receiving bowl 104, and a top member 106 with an openingdefining an annular seating surface. In one embodiment, the annularseating surface may include a seat 108 that is configured between thetop member 106 and a lid 110. The toilet 100 also includes a lid 110.The seat 108 and the lid 110 are hingedly affixed to the housing 102.The lid 110 and seat 108 are movable from a closed position (FIGS. 1A,1B, and 1C) adjacent to the top member 106 to an open position away fromthe top member 106 (FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C). Although FIGS. 1A through 2Cshow several features of the toilet 100, the toilet 100 may includeadditional, fewer, or different features than those described hereinwithout departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3A illustrates a cut-away view showing several features of theexample toilet 100 according to one embodiment of the presentdisclosure. In general, the space between the housing 102 and the bowl104 forms a chamber 120 for housing several components of the toilet100, such as a vibrating mechanism or other agitation device 114, avacuum pump 116, and a control circuit 118 that controls the operationof the toilet 100, including the agitation device 114 and/or the vacuumpump 116.

The agitation device 114 is, in one example, an agitation device toagitate the absorbent media and the waste material to cause theabsorbent media to at least substantially cover the waste material whilethe agitation device is not contacting the absorbent media and the wastematerial. In one example, the agitation device agitates the absorbentmedia and the waste material at a lower portion of the bag to cause theabsorbent media to at least substantially cover the waste material whilethe agitation device is not contacting the absorbent media and the wastematerial. The agitation device 114 further includes any mechanism thatgenerates vibrational energy that is imparted into an absorbent media124 and indicator 125.

The control circuit 118 controls the operation of the one or moreelectrical components of the toilet 100. The control circuit 118receives one or more inputs from an optional user interface 119, such asfrom an on/off switch or button. The control circuit 118 also receivesone or more control signals from one or more sensors each having astatus, activity, state, detection level, or other information andprocesses the one or more control signals to determine the one or moredetected statuses, activities, states, detected level, or otherinformation. The control circuit 118 operates one or more electricalcomponents of the toilet 100 in response to the one or more userinterface inputs and/or one or more control signals. For example, thecontrol circuit may turn on the agitation device 114 or pump 116 orcause absorbent media and/or indicator to be dispensed in response tothe one or more user interface inputs and/or one or more controlsignals.

The control circuit 118 may alert the user for one or more states oractions (e.g. sensor states or other states or conditions determined bythe control circuit) by means of an audible signal, a visual signal, atactile signal, or any combination of audible, visual, and tactilesignals. For example, if the control circuit 118 determines theindicator is not present, the control circuit may transmit a signal toan audio, visual, tactile, and/or haptic device (see user interface 119)of the toilet 100 to cause the audio, visual, tactile, and/or hapticdevice of the toilet to emit or otherwise generate an audio, visual,tactile, and/or haptic alert or other response, as the case may be, toalert the user the toilet will not function and/or alert the user of anyincompatible substance within the toilet could pose personal orenvironmental risks or hazards.

The optional user interface 119 includes one or more switches and/orbuttons, such as from an on/off switch or button. The user interface 119optionally includes one or more audio, visual, tactile, and/or hapticdevices to emit or otherwise generate an audio, visual, tactile, and/orhaptic alert or other response, respectively. The user interface 119further may include a display or touch screen to display data, signals,alerts, images, video, and other information received from, or inresponse to one or more signals from, the control circuit 119. The userinterface 119 further may include one or more input devices to receiveone or more inputs, including data, from a user and one or more outputdevices to display or otherwise provide one or more outputs to the user.The user interface 119 further may include an audio, visual, tactile,and/or haptic device that can receive a control signal from the controlcircuit 118 and, in response to the control signal from the controlcircuit, emit or otherwise generate an audio, visual, tactile, and/orhaptic alert or other response, as the case may be. For example, anaudio, visual, tactile, and/or haptic device can receive a controlsignal from the control circuit 118 and, in response to the controlsignal from the control circuit, emit or otherwise generate an audio,visual, tactile, and/or haptic alert or other response, as the case maybe, to alert the user the toilet will not function, alert the user ofany incompatible substance within the toilet that could pose personal orenvironmental risks or hazards, or otherwise alert the user to a stateof the toilet 100.

The absorbent media 124 may include any suitable type of material thatmixes with the waste, particularly under the influence of vibrationalenergy or other agitation. In one embodiment, the absorbent media is agranular material, such as sand, pumice, pet litter, zeolite, clay,sepiolite, wood, paper, crushed cellulose, etc. In another embodiment,the absorbent media is an absorbing fiber, such as wood or cellulosefibers, which may take one or more forms, including a pellet form, chipform, and/or ground/dust form. Embodiments of the absorbent media 124may serve as a desiccant to aid in sterilization by effectively drawingmoisture away from the waste material, thus reducing sanitary hazardstypically encountered with organic waste as well as minimizing odorsgenerated by the waste material.

The toilet 100 can be configured with a disposable bag 122 that isreleasably secured in the bowl 104 and configured to receive and hold aspecified amount of absorbent media 124 and indicator 125. In general,the disposable bag 122 can be releasably secured inside the bowl 104 andpartially filled with an absorbent media 124 and indicator 125 such thatwhen used, agitation may be imparted to the absorbent media 124 andindicator 125 for mixing with any waste introduced into the disposablebag 122 while keeping the components of the toilet, such as thevibrating mechanism or other agitation device 114, separated fromcommunication with (i.e., not touching) the waste material and absorbentmedia in the disposable bag 122. Following the introduction of waste,the disposable bag 122 may be removed from the bowl 104 and disposed ofand another disposable bag 122 releasably secured to the bowl 104 forensuing uses of the toilet 100.

Certain embodiments of the toilet 100 may provide advantages notheretofore recognized by traditional toilet designs. For example,embodiments of the toilet 100 may reduce or eliminate the extraneous useof certain materials required by traditional toilet designs, such aswater, chemical treatment, biological decomposing materials, and thelike. Additionally, the disposable bag 122 provides a temporary chamberfor receiving waste and disposing of the waste in a safe, sanitarymanner, while the absorbent media provides for at least partialencapsulation of the waste such that any odors generated by the wasteare minimized. Additionally, because little or no water is required forits operation, the toilet 100 may be used in locations where a source ofwater or means to manage the processing and removal of waste may not bereadily available, such as in a portable, remote environment (e.g.,during a long road trip, a camping excursion, etc.).

The bowl 104 and the housing 102 form an enclosed chamber 120 thatoptionally is sealed from the outside environment. When the vacuum pump116 is turned on, it generates a vacuum (e.g., negative) pressure insidethe chamber 120. In one embodiment, the vacuum pump 116 includes one ormore fans that, when powered on, blow air from the chamber 120 to theambient environment. Additionally, a certain quantity of holesoptionally may be left uncovered by the bag 122 so that an airflow maybe generated from the bowl 104 into the chamber 120 for minimizing odorsgenerated during the use of the toilet 100. Nevertheless, the vacuumpump 116 may include any device that creates a vacuum condition insidethe chamber 120 when powered on, such as a piston-driven pump havingcheck valves at its entry and exit ports. Additionally, the vacuum pump116 may be omitted if a vacuum condition is not needed or desired forthe operation of the toilet 100.

The bowl 104 may be made of any suitable material (e.g., sheet metal,plastic, fiberglass, etc.) and have any desired shape to receive andtemporarily hold the disposable bag 122 against its surface. In oneembodiment, the bowl 104 includes a side member 128 formed of sheetmetal into a cylindrical shape and has holes 130 configured along itsextent, such that, when the vacuum pump 116 is powered on, thedisposable bag 122 is urged against the surface of the side member 128.Also, the bowl 104 optionally includes a bottom member 132 that isformed of an air permeable material (e.g., screen, fabric, etc.) thatallows the vacuum pressure generated in the chamber 120 to urge thedisposable bag 122 against the bottom member 132. In one embodiment, thebottom member 132 is resilient or stretchable to allow vibrationalenergy generated by the agitation device 114 to be transferred to theabsorbent media 124 and indicator 125 for causing movement or agitationof the absorbent media and indicator for enhanced mixing with any wasteintroduced into the disposable bag 122.

In one embodiment, the frequency (e.g., vibrational speed of thevibrating mechanism) and/or amplitude (e.g., cyclical distance traveledby the bottom member 132) of the vibrational energy imparted by theagitation device 114 to the absorbent media and waste material may beselected according to the size and density of the absorbent media 124.In this manner, a specified level and frequency of vibrational energymay be produced that optimally excites the absorbent media 124 accordingto its size, weight, and/or resiliency (e.g., bounciness). For example,when a particular type of absorbent media 124 having a specified size,weight, and/or resiliency is selected, the frequency and/or amplitude ofthe agitation device 114 may be altered for optimal movement of theabsorbent media 124 in the bag 122. The amplitude and/or frequency ofthe vibrational energy may be altered in any suitable manner.

In one embodiment, the bottom member 132 of the bowl 104 has a conicalshape, or other suitable shape, to urge the absorbent media and wastematerial toward the center of the bowl under the force of gravity. Forexample, the conical shape may be provided by a static tension forceexerted on the bottom member 132 by the line 140. Nevertheless, theconical shape may be provided using any suitable technique. For example,the bottom member 132 may be formed from a sheet of material (e.g.,sheet metal) that is resilient in consistency (e.g., spring-like) andformed into a conical shape and perforated to allow airflow therethrough. In another example, the bottom member 132 may be formed from aflexible screen or material.

FIG. 3B depicts one example of a agitation device 114A that forms anagitation device for agitating the absorbent media 124 and indicator 125disposed in the disposable bag 122. In one embodiment, the agitationdevice 114A includes a motor 136 with an eccentrically mounted pin 138that is coupled to the bottom member 132 via a line 140 (e.g., rope,twine, strap, cable, etc.) such that rotation of the motor 136 causesthe vibrational energy to be imparted in a generally vertical direction(e.g., up and down) on the bottom member 132. Nevertheless, otherembodiments contemplate that the agitation device 114 may include anymechanism that generates vibrational energy that is imparted into theabsorbent media 124 and indicator 125. For example, the agitation device114 may be a motor having an eccentrically mounted weight on its shaft,which is physically coupled to the bottom member 132. Certainembodiments of the toilet 100 that use vertical excitation of theabsorbent media 124 and indicator 125 may be advantageous in thatvibrational excitation of the absorbent media and indicator may bemaximized relative to the overall vibration incurred by the toilet 100during its use.

In the example of FIG. 3B, the motor 136 may be a variable speed motorwhose speed may be altered to change the frequency of the vibrationalenergy imparted by the agitation device 114A to the absorbent media andwaste material while the amplitude of the vibrational energy may bealtered by adjusting the angular distance of the pin 138 from the axisof the shaft. For example, the control circuit 118 may generate adisplay for a user interface 512 (FIG. 5) for receiving user inputassociated with a specified frequency and/or amplitude to be usedaccording to a type of absorbent media 124 placed in the bag 122.Alternatively, the control circuit 118 may have one or more switchesthat enable a user to select one or more frequencies and/or one or moreamplitudes with, or without, a displayed user-interface.

Referring now to FIGS. 3A-3B, in one embodiment, the lid 110 includes ahopper 134 for storing the absorbent media 124 and indicator 125. Alatch door 144 or other selectively closable mechanism, is provided toallow entry of the absorbent media 124 and indicator 125 into the hopper134, and a dispenser 146 is provided for transferring a specified amountof absorbent media 124 and indicator 125 from the hopper 134 (ordifferent portions/containers of the hopper) into the disposable bag 122each time the toilet 100 is used. In other embodiments, the toilet 100may include a hopper placed at other locations, such as behind thetoilet, beside the toilet, or underneath the toilet.

In one embodiment, the dispenser 146 includes an auger assembly havingone or more augers 148 configured in the dispenser 146 that is/are incommunication with the inside of the lid 110. Each auger is rotationallycoupled to a motor, such that when the motor is turned on, a specifiedamount of absorbent media 124 and/or indicator may be dispensed into thedisposable bag 122. For example, a motor 150 dispenses the absorbentmedia 124, such that when the motor is turned on, a specified amount ofabsorbent media 124 is dispensed into the disposable bag 122. Anothermotor (not shown) operates another auger for the indicator in oneembodiment, such that when the motor is turned on, a specified amount ofindicator is dispensed into the disposable bag 122. In one embodiment,the dispenser 146 may be hingedly affixed to the lid 110 such that itmay be rotated to allow for closure of the lid 110.

In one embodiment, the auger 148 may optionally have a sawtooth shape orother suitable shape for grinding, chipping, shredding, pulverizing(e.g., breaking apart) a concentrated amount of absorbent media 124provided in block form (e.g., a brick) into an expanded matrix for usein the toilet 100. Certain embodiments employing absorbent media 124provided as relatively small concentrated blocks may provide certainadvantages, such as a relatively smaller volume required for theirstorage prior to use as well as their relative ease of use compared toabsorbent media 124 provided in expanded granular form. Althoughnon-block forms of absorbent media may be used in other embodiments.

In another embodiment, the dispenser 146 may include a media retentionmechanism to inhibit or reduce unwanted absorbent media 124 when notneeded or desired, such as when the toilet 100 is not in use. Forexample, the exit or end of the dispenser may include a spring-loadedvalve that is biased in a closed position when absorbent media 124 isnot being actively discharged from the auger 148. As another example,the motor 150 driving the auger 148 may be rotated in a backwardsdirection for a specified period of time following dispensing of theabsorbent media 124 such that any absorbent media 124 still within thedispenser 146 may be driven back into the hopper 134.

In another embodiment, the toilet 100 includes one hopper or othercontainer and corresponding dispenser for the absorbent media andanother hopper or other container and corresponding dispenser for theindicator. Each hopper may include an auger or other dispensingmechanism to dispense the absorbent media and indicator, respectively,into the disposable bag 122 or other container. In another embodiment,the indicator is impregnated on or attached to the absorbent media, anda single hopper or other container and corresponding dispenser are used.

The toilet 100 may further include one or more other dispensers todispense other components. For example, a separate treatment optionallymay be dispensed with the absorbent media, e.g. a bactericide, wastetreatment, malodor treatment, enzymatic solution, or any combination ofthe foregoing. In one example, a liquid container and liquid dispenserwould be included for a liquid or solution, and a liquid dispenser wouldemit or otherwise dispense the liquid or solution on or with theabsorbent media. In another example, a malodor treatment is provided asparticles in a separate container, which are dispensed by a dispenser.Of course, the treatment may be provided to or applied to the absorbentmedia prior to the absorbent media being placed in a hopper, in whichcase the treated absorbent media would be dispensed as discussed above.

In an alternate embodiment, the absorbent media and indicator arepackaged in a single use bag, pouch, or other package. In thisembodiment, the dispenser 146 is not needed and may not be present.Prior to using the toilet 100, the user opens the bag, pouch, or otherpackage and deposits the contents of the bag, pouch, or other packageinto the disposable bag 122 of the toilet. Additional material may bedeposited into the toilet 100 before and/or after toilet use to absorbor otherwise treat waste or prepare the toilet for ensuing uses.

The disposable bag 122 is sized to fit within the bowl 104, and be madeof any suitable material (e.g., plastic, paper, etc.) that receives andholds absorbent media 124 and waste. In one embodiment, the disposablebag 122 is made of a material that can decompose when processed usingstandard waste treatment techniques. The bag 122 includes an upper edgethat may be releasably secured to the top member 106 of the toilet 100using a suitable releasable securement mechanism. In one embodiment, thereleasable securement mechanism includes one or more tabs 142 configuredon the top member 106 of the toilet 100 on which the top edge of the bag122 may be impaled for holding the bag 122 in place. Other embodimentscontemplate that other types of releasable securement mechanisms may beused. For example, the releasable securement mechanism may include ahook-and-loop (e.g., Velcro) strips molded into the top edge of thedisposable bag 122 and on the top member 106 of the toilet 100. Foranother example, the releasable securement mechanism may include a bag122 with a drawstring or elastic member extending around the peripheryof its edge for releasable securement to the top member 106. For yetanother example, the releasable securement mechanism may includespring-loaded clips, or other mechanisms, that do not impale thedisposable bag 122.

The toilet 100 may also include one or more sensors that may be used bythe control circuit 118 to control its operation. Each of the sensorsdetect one or more statuses, activities, states, levels, or otherinformation and communicate information to the control circuit 118 inone or more control signals for the one or more detected statuses,activities, states, detected level, or other information. For example, alid position sensor 152 may be provided that senses when the lid 110 ismoved from the closed to the open position. A bag presence sensor 154may be provided that senses when a bag 122 is disposed within the bowl.Also, an absorbent media level sensor 156 may be provided to sense thelevel of absorbent media 124 stored in the hopper 134. Also, an occupantsensor 174 may be provided to sense when a user is occupying the toilet100. Each of the sensors 152, 154, 156, 172, or 174 transmits one ormore control signals to the control circuit 118 with their statuses,activities, states (e.g. 0 or 1, on or off, item detected/not detected,etc.), detected level, or other information. Any suitable types ofsensors may be implemented with the sensors 152, 154, 156, 172, or 174.For example, the lid position sensor 152 may be a door switch, the bagpresence sensor 154 may be an optical sensor that detects differinglevels of light when covered by the bag 122, the absorbent media sensor156 may be a capacitive device that changes its capacitance level whenin contact with the absorbent media 124, and the occupant sensor 174 maybe a temperature sensor that senses the typical surface temperature of ahuman body.

In one embodiment, an ultraviolet lamp 170 and a humidity sensor 172(e.g., hygrometer) may be included on the lower surface of the lid 110.The control circuit 118 may function in response to signals obtainedfrom the humidity sensor 172 to control operation of the ultravioletlamp 170 for various purposes, such as disinfection of bacteria or otherpathogens from the toilet 100 when not in use, or for a nightlight whenused at night. For example, the control circuit 118 may, using thehumidity sensor 172, sense when a moisture level in the toilet 100 hasexceeded a specified threshold to activate the ultraviolet lamp 170.

Although FIGS. 3A-3B illustrate several example features of the toilet100, it is contemplated that other embodiments of the toilet 100 mayhave more, different, or fewer features than those described herein. Forexample, the toilet 100 may include a lid 110 without a hopper 134and/or dispenser 146 if manual entry of the absorbent media 124 into thedisposable bag 122 is desired. A different type of dispensing mechanismmay be used in place of auger to dispense absorbent media into thedisposable bag or other container. In another example, the toilet 100may be provided without a seat 108 if not needed or desired. For yetanother example, the toilet 100 may include a different type ofagitation device than the vibrating mechanism for agitating theabsorbent media 124, such as a solenoid physically coupled to the bottommember 132 or one that will be described in detail below with referenceto FIG. 4.

FIG. 3C illustrates another absorbent media agitation device that may beimplemented with the toilet 100 according to another embodiment of thepresent disclosure. As shown, the toilet 100A includes a housing 102A, abowl 104A, a lid 110A, a seat 108A, a vacuum pump 116A, a controlcircuit 118A, and a disposable bag 122A that are similar in design andconstruction to the housing 102, the bowl 104, the seat 108, the lid110, the vacuum pump 116, the control circuit 118, and the bag 122 ofFIG. 3. The toilet 100A of FIG. 4 differs, however, in that it includesan absorbent media agitation device 158 formed from a disk 160 with aneccentrically mounted cam 162, that is rotated by a motor 164. Theabsorbent media agitation device also includes multiple levers 166(e.g., four levers) that are equally or unequally spaced apart, andhingedly affixed along the periphery of the bowl 104 via hinges 168. Asthe motor spins the cam 162, it interacts with multiple spaced-apartlevers 166 to alternatively lift each lever 166 such that successiveregions of the bottom member 132 are lifted for agitating the absorbentmedia 124. Additionally, the bag 122A separates the absorbent media andwaste from the components of the toilet 100A so the waste material andabsorbent media do not contact (i.e., come into communication) with theagitation device.

The media agitation device as shown in FIG. 4 may provide certainadvantages for use with the toilet 100A. For example, the levers 166 mayprovide for enhanced vertical movement of the absorbent media atrelatively lower frequencies than what may be provided by a vibratingdevice, such as that described above with respect to FIG. 3. Suchagitation may be particularly beneficial when used with absorbent mediathat is relatively soft in consistency and low in density, such as loosefill cellulose typically used for insulating homes or other climatizedstructures.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of an indicator sensor to sense thepresence or the lack of a presence of the indicator and/or an amount ofindicator. The toilet 100 includes one or more indicator sensors 402that each detect a presence of the indicator (or the lack of a presenceof the indicator) and/or an amount of indicator. In one example, eachindicator sensor 402 detects a presence of the indicator (or the lack ofa presence of the indicator) and/or an amount of indicator within adetection zone 404. In another example, one or more indicator sensors402 are a proximity sensor that detects a presence of the indicatorand/or an amount of indicator within a proximity of the indicatorsensor, such as in a detection zone 404, but does not require theindicator to contact the proximity sensor for the detection. In anotherexample, the indicator sensor 402 detects an environmentalcharacteristic of the indicator that causes the indicator to be reducedor eliminated immediately or over time, including based on a selectedaction by the toilet apparatus, such as corrosion, dissolving, decay,rusting, or another characteristic that causes the indicator to bereduced or eliminated immediately or over time, including based on aselected action by the toilet apparatus.

Each indicator sensor 402 transmits one or more control signals to thecontrol circuit 118. Each control signal contains a value of, or otherdata identifying, a detected level or other measurement taken by theindicator sensor. One or more of the values or other data in eachcontrol signal identify the presence or lack of presence of theindicator and optionally an amount of indicator when the indicator ispresent. For example, a value or other data in a control signal may be adigital or analog 1 or 0 (on or off) indicating the presence or lack ofpresence of the indicator. In another example, the value or other datain a control signal may be a value or level that from many possiblevalues or levels that each correspond to a distinct sensor reading andthat would each correspond to a different amount of detected indicator.

One or more indicator sensors 402 are placed at a lower and/or outerportion of the material receiving bowl 104 in one embodiment. However,one or more indicator sensors 402 also may be placed in relation toother portions of the toilet receiving bowl 104 or housing 102,including a mid-portion of the material receiving bowl 104 or anotherappropriate location to effect an accurate detection of the indicator.

In one embodiment, an indicator sensor 402 is an inductive, capacitive,or magnetic field sensing sensor that can detect the presence or lack ofpresence and/or level and/or effect on of an inductance, capacitance, ormagnetic field. In another embodiment, the indicator sensor 402 is oneor more of an inductive, capacitive, or magnetic field sensing sensorthat can detect an inductance, capacitance, or magnetic fieldcorresponding to an amount of the indicator present in a detection zone404 of the sensor. For example, the indicator sensor 402 may generate anelectromagnetic field within a detection zone 404 and detect a change tothe electromagnetic field caused by the indicator. A change in theelectromagnetic field itself indicates the presence of the indicator.The degree or amount of change to the electromagnetic field cancorrespond to an amount of indicator in the electromagnetic field.

In another embodiment, an indicator sensor 402 is an inductive proximitysensor configured to detect nonferrous metals, such as aluminum andcopper, and the indicator is a nonferrous metal. One example of aninductive indicator sensor 402 has an induction loop. The indicatorsensor 402 generates an electromagnetic field. The inductance of theloop changes according to the material inside the electromagnetic field.Since metals are more effective inductors than other materials, thepresence of metal increases the current flowing through the loop. Thechange in the current flowing through the loop can be detected bycircuitry in the sensor, and the amount of change can be processed todetermine (and correspond to) the presence of the indicator and amountof indicator.

In another embodiment, an indicator sensor 402 is a capacitive proximitysensor. One example of a capacitive proximity sensor detects an objectdue to its ability to be electrically charged. In this example, thesensor has a circuit that uses an internally supplied direct current(DC) power to generate alternating current (AC) power, to measurecurrent in an internal AC circuit, and to generate an output when theamount of AC current changes.

In another embodiment, an indicator sensor 402 is an indirect sensorthat can transmit, emit, radiate, or otherwise project a detection zone404 for the purpose of detecting the presence or lack of presence and/orlevel of an indicator near or within an area or detection zone of theindirect sensor. In another embodiment, an indicator sensor 402 is aninductive, capacitive, or magnetic field detecting sensor that candetect a ferro-magnetic element, a nonferrous metal element, or analloy, as the case may be, in a detection zone 404, and the indicator isthe corresponding ferro-magnetic material, nonferrous metal element, oralloy.

In another embodiment, the indicator sensor 402 can detect the presenceor lack of presence and optional amount of a biologic, and the indicatoris the biologic. Other examples exist.

The toilet 100 optionally includes an indicator concentrating element406 that concentrates the indicator at, in, or through a detection zone404 of the indicator sensor 402. The indicator concentrating element406, for example, attracts the indicator the indicator at, in, orthrough a detection zone 404 of the indicator sensor 402. In oneexample, indicator is ferromagnetic, the indicator concentrating element406 is a magnet or is magnetic, and the indicator concentrating element406 attracts the ferromagnetic indicator via magnetism so that theferromagnetic indicator is concentrated at, in, or through a detectionzone 404 of the indicator sensor 402.

The indicator concentrating element 406 optionally may be a part of, orin a proximate location to, the indicator sensor 402 in one embodiment.In another embodiment, the indicator sensor 402 optionally generates anelectromagnetic field suited for attracting iron or other ferrousparticles contained within the absorbent media or other waste treatingformulation.

In one example, the indicator concentrating element 406 is a magneticplate or magnetic collar. In another example, the indicatorconcentrating element 406 is placed in the interior of the materialreceiving bowl 104 or on the exterior of the material receiving bowl,such as below or at a bottom portion of the material receiving bowl, oranother appropriate location with respect to the material receiving bowlor housing 102 to effect concentration of the indicator at, in, orthrough a detection zone 404 of the indicator sensor 402. In oneexample, the composition and location of the indicator concentratingelement 406 in the toilet 100 does not interfere with the operation ofthe indicator sensor 402. That is, the composition and location of theindicator concentrating element 406 does not interfere with the abilityof the sensor detector 402 to detect indicator in the detection zone404. For example, the indicator concentrating element 406 may be anon-ferrous plate having ferrous material attracting properties (e.g. aceramic magnet) positioned so as not to interfere with the detection ofa ferrous indicator by the indicator sensor 402.

In addition to the functions described above, the control circuit 118 ofFIG. 4 receives one or more control signals from one or more indicatorsensors 402. Each control signal contains a value of, or other dataidentifying, a detected level or other measurement taken by theindicator sensor. One or more of the values or other data in eachcontrol signal identify the presence or lack of presence of theindicator and optionally an amount of indicator when the indicator ispresent. For example, a value or other data in a control signal may be adigital or analog 1 or 0 (on or off) indicating the presence or lack ofpresence of the indicator. In another example, the value or other datain a control signal may be a value or level from many possible values orlevels that each correspond to a distinct sensor reading and that wouldeach correspond to a different amount of detected indicator. Forexample, a control signal may have a voltage level or data value.

The control circuit 118 processes the one or more control signals todetermine, based on the values or other data in the control signals,whether an indicator is present or not present in a detection zone 406or other portion of the toilet 100 and determines one or more actions totake, and/or causes one or more actions to be taken by a component ofthe toilet, based on the determination the indicator is present or isnot present in the detection zone or other portion of the toilet. Thecontrol circuit 118 then causes the one or more actions to be taken, forexample, by transmitting one or more control signals/instructions to oneor more devices internal to or external to the toilet. For example, upondetermining the indicator is present in the detection zone or otherportion of the toilet, the control circuit 118 may transmit a controlsignal to the agitation device 114 to cause the agitation device to turnon. In another example, upon determining the indicator is not present inthe detection zone or other portion of the toilet, the control circuit118 may transmit a control signal to the agitation device 114 to causethe agitation device to turn off.

In one embodiment, the control circuit 118 processes the one or morecontrol signals to determine, based on the values or other data in thecontrol signals, an amount of indicator that is present in the detectionzone 406 or other portion of the toilet and optionally determines one ormore actions to take based on the determination of the amount of theindicator detected in the detection zone or other portion of the toilet.The control circuit 118 then determines one or more actions to take,and/or causes one or more actions to be taken by a component of thetoilet, for example, by transmitting one or more controlsignals/instructions to one or more devices internal to or external tothe toilet. For example, upon determining the indicator is present inthe detection zone or other portion of the toilet and determining anamount of useful life for the absorbent media, the control circuit 118may transmit a control signal to the agitation device 114 to cause theagitation device to turn on for a period of time corresponding to theremaining useful life of the absorbent media.

In one aspect, the control circuit 118 determines from the indicatorsensor control signals the indicator is present in the detection zone,determines the detected level of the indicator from the indicator sensorcontrol signals, determines the detected level of the indicator is apercentage of the base level of the indicator based on the indicatorsensor control signals, and uses the detected level of indicatorcompared to (e.g. divided by) the base level of indicator to result in aremaining level (e.g. percentage) of indicator that corresponds to aremaining level (e.g. percentage) of useful life of the absorbent media.The control circuit 118 optionally then either uses the above resultingremaining level of indicator (e.g. in the case of a percentage) as theremaining level (e.g. percentage) of useful life of the absorbent media,which in this example is the percentage of the base useful life of theabsorbent media, or applies that resulting remaining level of indicator(e.g. in the case of a percentage) to the base amount of absorbent mediato determine the corresponding remaining amount of absorbent media. Thecontrol circuit 118 then causes the one or more actions to be taken, forexample, by transmitting one or more control signals/instructions to oneor more devices internal to or external to the toilet.

The control circuit 118 optionally uses other sensor input incombination with the sensor inputs from the one or more indicatorsensors 402 and takes one or more actions based on one or more inputsfrom all of the sensors or a group of sensors. For example, the controlcircuit 118 may transmit a control signal to the agitation device 114 tocause the agitation device to turn on for a period of time correspondingto the remaining useful life of the absorbent media. However, if theoccupant sensor 174 senses the user has not yet occupied the toilet 100,the control circuit 118 may delay operation of the agitation deviceuntil the occupancy sensor indicates to the control circuit the user saton the toilet and then got up from the toilet. In this instance, thecontrol circuit 118 receives one or more control signals from theindicator sensor 402 and at least two control signals from the occupantsensor 174, one to indicate occupancy of the toilet by the user andanother to indicate no occupancy of the toilet by the user. In anotherexample, the control circuit 118 does not allow the dispenser 146 todispense absorbent media and/or the indicator until the control circuitreceives a control signal from the lid sensor 152 indicating the lid isup, receives another control signal from the bag presence sensor 154indicating a disposable bag 122 is present, and/or receives anothercontrol signal from the absorbent media level sensor 156 indicatingthere is enough absorbent media to dispense. The control circuit 118receives control signals sent from each of the sensors and takes actionsbased on one or a combination of the control signals.

In some instances, the control circuit 118 has or accesses a memorycontaining characteristics of the indicator. For example, the memory maycontain a base value or base level to be detected by the indicatorsensor 402 that corresponds to the indicator being present in apredetermined amount (e.g. 100% of the indicator and/or a selectedvolume of the indicator) (referred to herein as a “base value of theindicator” or “base level of the indicator”), such as one or moreconductive values, one or more inductive values, one or moreelectromagnetic field values, or one or more other values or data thatcorrespond to a measurement taking by the indicator sensor 402indicating the presence or lack or presence of the indicator and/or anamount of indicator present. One or more other values can be used tocorrespond to a reduced amount of presence of the indicator based on thedata from the indicator sensor 402 data. The memory also may contain abase level of useful life of the absorbent media when the absorbentmedia is present in a predetermined amount (e.g. 100% of unusedabsorbent media and/or a selected volume of unused absorbent media).

The control circuit 118 may also access the memory to identify one ormore actions to take by the control circuit based on a presence of theindicator or one or more levels or amounts of remaining useful life ofabsorbent media. For example, the actions may include transmitting acontrol signal to the agitation device 114 to cause the agitation deviceto turn on when the indicator is present, transmitting a control signalto the agitation device to turn the agitation device off or keep theagitation device off when the indicator is not present, transmitting acontrol signal to the agitation device to cause the agitation device toturn from on to off when the indicator is no longer present,transmitting the control signal to the agitation device to cause theagitation device to on for a selected amount of time, transmitting thecontrol signal to the agitation device to cause the agitation device toon for a selected amount of time and then transmitting another controlsignal to the agitation device to cause the agitation device to off,transmitting a control signal to the agitation device to cause theagitation device to turn on for a selected amount of time correspondingto the remaining useful life of the absorbent media when the agitationdevice has an internal timer, transmitting a control signal to theagitation device to cause the agitation device to turn on for a selectedamount of time corresponding to the remaining useful life of theabsorbent media and then transmitting another control signal to theagitation device to turn the agitation device off, transmitting acommunication to an internal or external device indicating the remaininguseful life of the absorbent media to be displayed on the userinterface, transmitting other signals and information to display theother information on a display or other output device or user interface,transmitting a control signal to the dispenser 124 to cause thedispenser to dispense absorbent media, transmitting a control signal tothe dispenser to cause the dispenser to not dispense absorbent media,transmitting a control signal to the dispenser to cause the dispenser todispense indicator, transmitting a control signal to the dispenser tocause the dispenser to not dispense indicator, or transmitting a controlsignal to an audio, visual, tactile, and/or haptic device of the toilet100 to cause the audio, visual, tactile, and/or haptic device of thetoilet to emit or otherwise generate an audio, visual, tactile, and/orhaptic alert or other response, as the case may be, to alert the userthe toilet will not function, alert the user of any incompatiblesubstance within the toilet could pose personal or environmental risksor hazards, and/or otherwise alert the user to a state of the toilet.

In one example, the system of FIG. 4 operates as follows. The indicatorsensor 402 detects the presence of an indicator in a detection zone 404by taking a measurement or otherwise detecting a level of an inductance,capacitance, or magnetic field of or impacted by the indicator. Theindicator sensor 402 transmits one or more signals to the controlcircuit 118, each control signal containing a value of or other dataidentifying a detected level or other measurement taken by the indicatorsensor. One or more of the values or other data in the control signalsfrom the indicator sensor identify the presence of the indicator and anamount of indicator. The control circuit 118 processes the controlsignals received from the indicator sensor 402 and determines from thecontrol signals the indicator is present in the detection zone. Thecontrol circuit 118 takes one or more actions based on determining theindicator is present in the detection zone, such as turning on theagitation device 114.

In another example, the absorbent media has a base useful life. A baseamount/quantity of the indicator in a base state (state of not beingcorroded, decayed, or dissolved) may cause the indicator sensor todetect an inductance, capacitance, or magnetic field of or impacted bythe indicator at a base detection level. When the indicator hascorroded, for example, to half the base amount, the indicator sensor 402may detect an inductance, capacitance, or magnetic field of or impactedby the indicator at half (50%) the base detection level.

The control circuit 118 takes one or more actions based on determiningthe indicator is present in the detection zone and/or determining theamount of indicator in the detection zone, such as turning on theagitation device 114, turning the agitation device on for a selectedamount of time corresponding to a remaining useful life of the absorbentmedia, transmitting a communication to an internal or external deviceindicating the remaining useful life of the absorbent media, ordisplaying information on a display or other output device or userinterface 119 identifying the remaining useful life of the absorbentmedia.

The control circuit 118 receives the control signals from the indicatorsensor 402, processes the control signals, determines from the controlsignals the indicator is present in the detection zone, determines thedetected level of the indicator is half (50%) of the base level of theindicator based on the indicator sensor detection, uses the detectedlevel of indicator compared to (e.g. divided by) the base level ofindicator to result in a remaining level (e.g. percentage) of indicatorthat corresponds to a remaining level (e.g. percentage) of useful lifeof the absorbent media. The control circuit 118 optionally then eitheruses the above resulting remaining level of indicator (e.g. in the caseof a percentage) as the remaining level (e.g. percentage) of useful lifeof the absorbent media, which in this example is half (50%) of the baseuseful life of the absorbent media, or applies that resulting remaininglevel of indicator (e.g. in the case of a percentage) to the base amountof absorbent media to determine the corresponding remaining amount ofabsorbent media, which in this example is half (50%) of the base amountof the absorbent media. The control circuit 118 takes one or moreactions based on determining the indicator is present in the detectionzone and the amount of indicator in the detection zone, such as turningon the agitation device 114 turning the agitation device on for aselected amount of time corresponding to the remaining useful life ofthe absorbent media, transmitting a communication to an internal orexternal device indicating the remaining useful life of the absorbentmedia, or displaying information on a display or other output device oruser interface 119 identifying the remaining useful life of theabsorbent media.

The control circuit 118 takes one or more actions based on determiningthe indicator is present in the detection zone and/or determining theamount of indicator in the detection zone, such as turning on theagitation device 114, turning the agitation device on for a selectedamount of time corresponding to a remaining useful life of the absorbentmedia, transmitting a communication to an internal or external deviceindicating the remaining useful life of the absorbent media, ordisplaying information on a display or other output device or userinterface 119 identifying the remaining useful life of the absorbentmedia.

In another example, a user places the absorbent media and indicator intothe toilet bag and uses the toilet for urination. Later the same day,the user returns to activate the toilet for re-use. The user instructsthe toilet is to operate by turning on a switch, by lifting the lid,and/or by occupying the seat. A control signal from the switch, lidsensor 152, and or occupant sensor 174 is transmitted to the controlcircuit 118 with the corresponding state data. The indicator sensor 402also generates a control signal to the control circuit 118 correspondingto the corrosion level of the indicator. In this example, the controlsignal indicates the corrosion level of the indicator did not pass apredefined threshold. The control circuit 118 processes the controlsignal, determines based on the control signal the corrosion level isabove a predefined threshold level, determines no additional absorbentmedia is needed since the corrosion level is above a predefinedthreshold level, and transmits a control signal to the user interface119 causing the user interface to indicate to the user that additionalabsorbent media is not needed.

Conversely, if prior use of the toilet has sufficiently depleted theeffectiveness of the absorbent media, the indicator will be decayed,corroded, dissolved, or otherwise reduced or eliminated. The indicatorsensor 402 generates a control signal to the control circuit 118corresponding to the corrosion level of the indicator. In this example,the control signal indicates the corrosion level of the indicator is ator lower than a predefined threshold, which means the indicator isdecayed, corroded, dissolved, or otherwise reduced or eliminated. Thecontrol circuit 118 processes the control signal, determines based onthe control signal the corrosion level is below a predefined thresholdlevel, determines additional absorbent media is needed since thecorrosion level is below the predefined threshold level, and causes theagitation device 114 to remain off, transmits a control signal to theagitation device to instruct the agitation device to turn off, and/ortransmits another control signal to the user interface 119 to cause theuser interface to alert the user that more absorbent media is needed.

FIG. 5 illustrates one example of the control circuit 118 that may beused to control the operation of the toilet 100 according to oneembodiment of the present disclosure. The control circuit 118 includes aprocessing system 502 that executes a toilet operation application 504stored in a memory 506 (e.g., non-transitory computer readable storagemedia). Although the control circuit 118 is shown and described as acomputer-based design incorporating instructions stored in a memory 506and executed by a processing system 502, the control circuit 118 may beembodied in other specific forms, such as using discrete and/orintegrated analog circuitry, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs),application specific integrated circuitry (ASICs), or any combinationthereof.

The processing system 502 includes one or more hardware processors orother processing devices and memory. The one or more hardware processorsmay process machine/computer-readable executable instructions and data,and the memory may store machine/computer-readable executableinstructions and data, including one or more applications, including thetoilet operation application 504. A processor is hardware and memory ishardware. The memory 506 includes random access memory (RAM) and/orother non-transitory memory, e.g., a non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium, such as one or more flash drives or hard drives. Thenon-transitory memory may include any tangible computer-readable mediumincluding, for example, magnetic and/or optical disks, flash drives, andthe like.

A display 508 may display data from the control circuit 118. Examples ofa display include a liquid crystal display (LCD), one or more lightemitting diodes (LEDs), an LED display, a touch screen, a capacitivedisplay, or another display for displaying configuration settingsassociated with the toilet operation application 504.

The control circuit 118 may also receive one or more inputs from aninput device 510, such as one or more buttons, switches, a keyboard, amouse or pointer, a touch screen, or another electro-mechanical devicefor providing user input to the toilet operation application 504. In oneexample, the display 508 and input device 510 may include a touch screendisplay for receiving user input and displaying one or morecharacteristics associated with operation of the toilet operationapplication 504. In one embodiment, the display 508 and input device mayform a user interface 512 for displaying information to the user andreceiving user input from the user.

In general, the processing system 502 executes a toilet operationapplication 504 with one or more modules to control the operation of thetoilet 100. In certain embodiments, the toilet operation application 504may control all operating aspects of the toilet 100 described herein. Inother embodiments, the toilet operation application 504 may control onlyone or a subset of the operating aspects of the toilet 100 describedherein.

A user interface module 514 facilitates the receipt of user data and/orother communications from the input device 510 of the control circuit118. In one example, the user interface module 514 generates aninteractive display, such as to the display 508 or other suitable userinterface mechanism, which optionally may include one or more selectablefields, editing screens, or the like for displaying status informationassociated with one or more aspects of the toilet operation application504, such as indicator status, remaining useful life of the absorbentmedia, whether absorbent media and/or indicator should be dispensed ornot, operational status information for the toilet, power source (e.g.,battery) condition, timer values to be applied to the operation of theagitator, the vacuum pump, absorbent media dispenser, and the like.

A sensor interface module 516 monitors the various sensors 152, 154,156, 172, and 402 configured on the toilet 100, receives one or morecontrol signals from one or more of the sensors, processes the one ormore control signals from the one or more sensors to determine one ormore actions to be taken based on the one or more sensor controlsignals, and generates one or more control signals to be used by the oneor more other modules of the toilet operation application 504 and/or oneor more components of the toilet for the operation of the toilet. Forexample, the sensor interface module 516 may continually monitor the lidposition sensor 152, and generate a signal that may be used by theagitator controller module 518 and/or vacuum pump controller module 520for controlling the operation of the agitation device (e.g., agitationdevice 114 or absorbent media agitation device 158), and/or vacuum pump116, respectively. As another example, the sensor interface module 516may monitor the bag presence sensor 154, such as after the lid positionsensor 152 detects that the lid 110 has been opened and/or other timesand generate a signal that may be used by the alarm controller module524 to generate an alarm if the bag 122 has not been placed within thebowl 104 after a specified period of time. As yet another example, thesensor interface module 516 may monitor the absorbent media level sensor156 to determine whether the level of the absorbent media 124 stored inthe lid 110 has been reduced to a specified level, and generate a signalthat may be used by the alarm controller module 524 when the level ofthe absorbent media is below the specified level. As yet anotherexample, the sensor interface module 516 may monitor the humidity sensor172 to selectively energize the ultraviolet lamp 170 according to ahumidity level inside of the bowl 104 or bowl 104/bag 122.

As yet another example, the sensor interface module 516 may receive oneor more control signals from one or more indicator sensors 402,processes the one or more control signals from the one or more indicatorsensors to determine one or more actions to be taken based on the one ormore sensor control signals (as described above with respect to thecontrol circuit), and generates one or more control signals to be usedby the one or more other modules of the toilet operation application 504and/or one or more components of the toilet for the operation of thetoilet. The sensor interface module 516 may process control signals orinputs from multiple sensors to determine an action to be taken or nottaken (as described above with respect to the control circuit).

For example, the sensor interface module 516 may determine, based on apresence of the indicator or one or more levels or amounts of remaininguseful life of absorbent media, to transmit a control signal to theagitation device 114 to turn the agitation device on when the indicatoris present, transmit a control signal to the agitation device to turnthe agitation device off or keep the agitation device off when theindicator is not present, transmit a control signal to the agitationdevice to turn the agitation device from on to off when the indicator isno longer present, transmit a control signal to the agitation device toturn the agitation device on for a selected amount of time correspondingto the remaining useful life of the absorbent media and then transmitanother control signal to the agitation device to turn the agitationdevice off, transmitting a communication to an internal or externaldevice indicating the remaining useful life of the absorbent media to bedisplayed on the user interface 512, or transmitting other signals andinformation to display the other information on a display or otheroutput device or user interface 512.

The sensor interface module 516 further may access memory containingcharacteristics of the indicator. For example, the memory may contain abase value or base level to be detected by the indicator sensor 402 thatcorresponds to the indicator being present in a predetermined amount(e.g. 100% of the indicator and/or a selected volume of the indicator)(referred to herein as a “base value of the indicator” or “base level ofthe indicator”), such as one or more conductive values, one or moreinductive values, one or more electromagnetic field values, or one ormore other values or data that correspond to a measurement taking by theindicator sensor 402 indicating the presence or lack or presence of theindicator and/or an amount of indicator present. One or more othervalues can be used to correspond to a reduced amount of presence of theindicator based on the data from the indicator sensor 402 data. Thememory also may contain a base level of useful life of the absorbentmedia when the absorbent media is present in a predetermined amount(e.g. 100% of unused absorbent media and/or a selected volume of unusedabsorbent media).

The sensor interface module 516 further may access memory that containsan identification of one or more actions to take by the sensor interfacemodule based on a presence of the indicator or one or more levels oramounts of remaining useful life of absorbent media. For example, theactions may include turning the agitation device on when the indicatoris present, turning the agitation device off or keeping the agitationdevice off, when the indicator is not present, turning the agitationdevice from on to off when the indicator is no longer present, turningthe agitation device on for a selected amount of time corresponding tothe remaining useful life of the absorbent media, transmitting acommunication to an internal or external device indicating the remaininguseful life of the absorbent media, or displaying information on adisplay or other output device or user interface 512 identifying theremaining useful life of the absorbent media.

An agitator controller module 518 is coupled to the agitation device(e.g., vibration mechanism 114, absorbent media agitation device 158, orother agitation mechanism) and controls the operation of the agitationdevice, such as whether the agitation device is on or off. For example,the agitator controller module 518 may include a timer that turns theagitation device on or off after a specified period of time. In oneembodiment, the agitator controller module 518 may be configured to turnthe agitation device partially on, such as via a pulse width modulation(PWM) algorithm, that causes the agitation device to operate at afraction of its fully on power. The vibrator controller module 518 mayinclude multiple partially on settings for optimizing the agitation ofdifferent types of absorbent media having differing sizes, weights, andresiliency.

A vacuum pump controller module 520 controls the operation of the vacuumpump 116. For example, the vacuum pump controller module 520 may receivesignals from the sensor interface module 516 indicating whether the lid110 is in the open position and whether the bag has been inserted intothe bowl, and if so, turn on the vacuum pump 116 so that the disposablebag 122 may be urged against the side of the bowl 104. The vacuum pumpcontroller module 520 may also be responsive to signals from the userinterface module 514 to turn off the pump in response to user input sothat the disposable bag 122 may be removed from the bowl 104 or to turnon the pump.

A media dispensing module 522 controls the operation of the dispenser146 to dispense absorbent media, indicator, and optionally treatment tothe disposable bag 122. When the dispenser 146 dispenses the absorbentmedia and the indicator, the media dispensing module 522 controls theoperation of the dispenser to dispense the absorbent media and theindicator. When the dispenser 146 also dispenses treatment, the mediadispensing module 522 controls the operation of the dispenser todispense the treatment.

For example, the absorbent media dispensing module 522 may receivesignals from the sensor interface module 516 indicating whether the lid110 is in the open position and whether the bag has been inserted intothe bowl, and if so, turn on the dispenser 146 for a specified period oftime so that a certain amount of absorbent media and/or a certain amountof indicator may be dispensed from the dispenser into the disposable bag122. For example, the dispenser 146 may be responsive to a switch and/orother control circuit 118 hardware to dispense absorbent media and/orindicator into the disposable bag 122.

An alarm controller module 524 communicates with the other modules(e.g., the user interface module 514, the sensor interface module 516,the agitator controller module 518, and the vacuum interface module 520)to receive signals indicative of an alarm condition, and generate analarm signal based on those signals. For example, if the alarmcontroller module 524 receives a signal from the sensor interface module516 indicating that no bag 122 is present in the bowl 104 when theabsorbent media dispensing module 522 turns on the dispenser 146 todispense absorbent media and/or indicator, the alarm controller module524 may generate an alarm and communicate with the absorbent mediadispenser controller 522 to turn off the dispenser 146 until a bag 122is placed in the bowl 104. As another example, the alarm controllermodule 524 may receive signals from the sensor interface module 516indicating that the level of the absorbent media 124 in the lid 110 isbelow a specified threshold level and generate an alarm to alert theuser that additional absorbent media 124 needs to be added to the hopper134.

It should be appreciated that the modules described herein are providedonly as an example of a computing device that may execute the toiletoperation application 504 according to the teachings of the presentdisclosure, and that other computing devices may have the same modules,different modules, additional modules, or fewer modules than thosedescribed herein. For example, one or more modules as described in FIG.5 may be combined into a single module. As another example, certainmodules described herein may be encoded and executed on other circuits,such as another circuit that is separate from the control circuit 118.

FIGS. 6A-6B illustrate an example process that may be performed by thetoilet operation application 504 according to the teachings of thepresent disclosure to control the operation of the toilet 100. Althoughthe example process described herein below is directed primarily to acomputer-based application implemented in a memory and executed by aprocessor, the steps described herein may also be applicable to othertypes of control circuits, such as a digital or analog hardware circuitemploying discrete electrical components.

Initially in step 601, the absorbent media hopper 134 may be loaded withabsorbent media and/or indicator by moving the lid 110 to the openposition, opening the access door 144, and pouring the and/or indicatorinto the absorbent media hopper and/or indicator hopper. Also, an airfilter 172 may be placed over the outlet of the vacuum pump 116.Thereafter, the toilet 100 and associated toilet operation application504 are ready for use.

In step 602, the toilet operation application 504 determines, using anabsorbent media level sensor and/or indicator level sensor, whether theabsorbent media level is sufficient and the indicator level issufficient. If so, processing continues at step 604; otherwise,processing continues at step 626 in which an alarm is generated using asuitable output mechanism, such as the user interface 512 of the controlcircuit 118. In one embodiment, the toilet operation application 504 mayalso display a message on the user interface 512 informing the user toadd additional absorbent media and/or indicator to the respective mediahopper.

In step 604, the toilet operation application 504 receives a signal fromthe lid position sensor 152 indicating that the lid 110 has been movedto the open position. Receipt of the signal from the lid position sensor152 typically indicates that the toilet is being prepared for use.

In step 606, the toilet operation application 504 determines, using theoccupant sensor 174, whether a signal has been received indicative ofthe user occupying the toilet 100 prior to a signal received from thebag sensor 154. If not, processing continues at step 608; otherwiseprocessing continues at step 626 in which an alarm is generated to alertthe user that the toilet 100 is being improperly used. Additionally, thetoilet operation application 504 may generate, using the user interface512 that a bag 122 should be installed prior to occupying the toilet100.

In step 608, the toilet operation application 504 controls the dispenser146 to dispense a specified amount of absorbent media and/or indicatorinto the bag 122. The specified amount of absorbent media and/orindicator may be set according to various factors, such as how long thedispenser 146 is energized, the speed of the dispenser 146, and theweight and/or granularity of the absorbent media and/or indicator. Thetoilet operation application 504 may cause the dispenser 146 toimmediately dispense the absorbent media and/or indicator, or it maywait for a specified period of time (e.g., approximately 1 to15 seconds)prior to having the absorbent media and/or indicator dispensed. Forexample, the toilet operation application 504 may be configured to waitfor approximately 5 seconds after the bag sensor 154 has detected thepresence of the bag 122 to allow the user to releasably secure the bag122 to the bowl 104. In an alternative embodiment, the toilet operationapplication 504 may be responsive to user input inputted from either theuser interface 512 or a switch mounted on the housing 102 to manuallycontrol the dispenser 146 for dispensing the absorbent media and/orindicator.

In steps 610 and 612, the toilet operation application 504 turns on theagitation device (e.g., agitation device 114, absorbent media agitationdevice 158, or other agitation mechanism) and the vacuum pump 116,respectively. For example, the toilet operation application 504 may turnon the agitation device and/or vacuum pump 116 immediately after thedispenser 146 has been turned off, or after a specified period of timeafter the dispenser 146 has been turned off or in response to one ormore sensor inputs, such as the occupant sensor 174 indicating thepresence of an occupant or other sensor. In an alternative embodiment,the toilet operation application 504 may be responsive to user inputinputted from either the user interface 512 or one or more otherswitches mounted on the housing 102 to turn the agitation device and/orvacuum pump 116 on. Additionally, the agitation device may be turned onsimultaneously with the vacuum pump 116 or at a different time from whenthe vacuum pump 116 is turned on.

In step 614, the toilet operation application 504 receives a signal fromthe occupant sensor 174 indicating that the occupant no longer occupiesthe toilet 100. Thereafter, the toilet operation application 504 turnsoff the agitation device 114/absorbent media agitation mechanism 158and/or vacuum pump 116 in steps 616 and 618.

In step 620, the toilet operation application 504 determines whether asignal has been received from the lid position sensor 152 indicatingthat the lid 110 has been moved to the closed position prior to a signalreceived from the bag sensor 154 indicating that the disposable bag 122has been removed from the bowl 104. If not, processing continues at step622; otherwise processing continues at step 626 in which an alarm isgenerated to alert the user that the bag 122 needs to be removed fromthe toilet 100. Additionally, the toilet operation application 504 maygenerate, using the user interface 512, that the bag 122 should beremoved from the bowl 104 prior to closing the lid 110.

In step 622, the toilet operation application 504 continually monitorsthe moisture level inside the bowl 104 or the bag 122 if still insidethe bowl 104 using the humidity sensor 172 to control operation of theultraviolet lamp 170 when the toilet 100 is not in use. For example,after use of the toilet 100, humidity levels inside the bowl 104 mayremain at an elevated level for an extended period of time, particularlyif the bag 122 is inadvertently left inside of the bowl 104. To maintainthe toilet 100 in a sanitary condition, the toilet operation application504 may activate the ultraviolet lamp 170 such that any pathogens, suchas germs and/or bacteria, may be reduced or eliminated.

Processing continues for additional usage cycles of the toilet 100 asdescribed above with reference to steps 602 through 622. Nevertheless,when use of the toilet 100 and associated toilet operation application504 are no longer needed or desired, the process ends in step 624.

FIGS. 6C-6D illustrate an example process that may be performed by thetoilet operation application 504 according to the teachings of thepresent disclosure to control the operation of the toilet 100. FIG. 6Cdepicts one process 626 performed by the toilet operation application504 for toilet operation application of the control circuit 118 toprocess one or more control signals from the indicator sensor 402. Atstep 628, the toilet operation application 504 receives one or morecontrol signals from the indicator sensor 402. At step 630, the toiletoperation application 504 processes the signals to determine theindicator is present in the material receiving bowl. At step 632, thetoilet operation application 504 causes one or more actions to be takenby the toilet based on determining the indicator is present in thematerial receiving bowl.

FIG. 6D depicts another process 634 performed by the toilet operationapplication 504 for toilet operation application of the control circuit118 to process one or more control signals from the indicator sensor402. At step 636, the toilet operation application 504 receives one ormore control signals from the indicator sensor 402. At step 638, thetoilet operation application 504 processes the signals to determine theindicator is present and an amount of indicator present in the materialreceiving bowl. At step 640, the toilet operation application 504determines the remaining useful life of absorbent media, such as basedon the amount of indicator detected in the material receiving bowl. Atstep 642, the toilet operation application 504 causes one or moreactions to be taken by the toilet based on determining the indicator ispresent in the material receiving bowl and determining the remaininguseful life of the absorbent media.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example computing system 700 that may implementvarious systems, such as the control circuit 118, and methods discussedherein, such as process 600. A general purpose computer system 700 iscapable of executing a computer program product to execute a computerprocess. Data and program files may be input to the computer system 700,which reads the files and executes the programs therein such as thetoilet operation application 504. Some of the elements of a generalpurpose computer system 700 are shown in FIG. 7 wherein a processingsystem 702 is shown having an input/output (I/O) section 704, a hardwarecentral processing unit (CPU) 706, and a memory section 708. Theprocessing system 702 of the computer system 700 may have a singlehardware central-processing unit 706 or a plurality of hardwareprocessing units. The computer system 700 may be a conventionalcomputer, a server, a distributed computer, or any other type ofcomputing device, such as one or more external computers made availablevia a cloud computing architecture. The presently described technologyis optionally implemented in software devices loaded in memory 708,stored on a configured DVD/CD-ROM 710 or storage unit 712, and/orcommunicated via a wired or wireless network link 714, therebytransforming the computer system 700 in FIG. 7 to a special purposemachine for implementing the described operations.

The memory section 708 may be volatile media, nonvolatile media,removable media, non-removable media, and/or other hardware media orhardware mediums that can be accessed by a general purpose or specialpurpose computing device. For example, the memory section 708 mayinclude non-transitory computer storage media and communication media.Non-transitory computer storage media further may include volatile,nonvolatile, removable, and/or non-removable media implemented in amethod or technology for the storage (and retrieval) of information,such as computer/machine-readable/executable instructions, data and datastructures, engines, program modules, and/or other data. Communicationmedia may, for example, embody computer/machine-readable/executableinstructions, data structures, program modules, algorithms, and/or otherdata. The communication media may also include a non-transitoryinformation delivery technology. The communication media may includewired and/or wireless connections and technologies and be used totransmit and/or receive wired and/or wireless communications.

The I/O section 704 is connected to one or more optional user-interfacedevices (e.g., a user interface such as a keyboard 716 or the userinterface 512), an optional disc storage unit 712, an optional display718, and an optional disc drive unit 720. Generally, the disc drive unit720 is a DVD/CD-ROM drive unit capable of reading the DVD/CD-ROM medium710, which typically contains programs and data 722. Computer programproducts containing mechanisms to effectuate the systems and methods inaccordance with the presently described technology may reside in thememory section 708, on a disc storage unit 712, on the DVD/CD-ROM medium710 of the computer system 700, or on external storage devices madeavailable via a cloud computing architecture with such computer programproducts, including one or more database management products, web serverproducts, application server products, and/or other additional softwarecomponents. Alternatively, a disc drive unit 720 may be replaced orsupplemented by a floppy drive unit, a tape drive unit, or other storagemedium drive unit. An optional network adapter 724 is capable ofconnecting the computer system 700 to a network via the network link714, through which the computer system can receive instructions anddata. Examples of such systems include personal computers, Intel orPowerPC-based computing systems, AMD-based computing systems, ARM-basedcomputing systems, and other systems running a Windows-based, aUNIX-based, a mobile operating system, or other operating system. Itshould be understood that computing systems may also embody devices suchas Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), mobile phones, tablets or slates,multimedia consoles, gaming consoles, set top boxes, etc.

When used in a LAN-networking environment, the computer system 700 isconnected (by wired connection and/or wirelessly) to a local networkthrough the network interface or adapter 724, which is one type ofcommunications device. When used in a WAN-networking environment, thecomputer system 700 typically includes a modem, a network adapter, orany other type of communications device for establishing communicationsover the wide area network. In a networked environment, program modulesdepicted relative to the computer system 700 or portions thereof, may bestored in a remote memory storage device. It is appreciated that thenetwork connections shown are examples of communications devices for andother means of establishing a communications link between the computersmay be used.

In an example implementation, source code executed by the controlcircuit 118, a plurality of internal and external databases optionallyare stored in memory of the control circuit 118 or other storagesystems, such as the disk storage unit 712 or the DVD/CD-ROM medium 710,and/or other external storage devices made available and accessible viaa network architecture. The source code executed by the control circuit118 may be embodied by instructions stored on such storage systems andexecuted by the processing system 702.

Some or all of the operations described herein may be performed by theprocessing system 702, which is hardware. Further, local computingsystems, remote data sources and/or services, and other associated logicrepresent firmware, hardware, and/or software configured to controloperations the system 100 and/or other components. The system set forthin FIG. 7 is but one possible example of a computer system that mayemploy or be configured in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure.

In the present disclosure, the methods disclosed may be implemented assets of instructions or software readable by a device. Further, it isunderstood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methodsdisclosed are instances of example approaches. Based upon designpreferences, it is understood that the specific order or hierarchy ofsteps in the method can be rearranged while remaining within thedisclosed subject matter. The accompanying method claims presentelements of the various steps in a sample order, and are not necessarilymeant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

The described disclosure may be provided as a computer program product,or software, that may include a non-transitory machine-readable mediumhaving stored thereon executable instructions, which may be used toprogram a computer system (or other electronic devices) to perform aprocess according to the present disclosure. A non-transitorymachine-readable medium includes any mechanism for storing informationin a form (e.g., software, processing application) readable by a machine(e.g., a computer). The non-transitory machine-readable medium mayinclude, but is not limited to, magnetic storage medium (e.g., floppydiskette), optical storage medium (e.g., CD-ROM); magneto-opticalstorage medium, read only memory (ROM); random access memory (RAM);erasable programmable memory (e.g., EPROM and EEPROM); flash memory; orother types of medium suitable for storing electronic executableinstructions.

The description above includes example systems, methods, techniques,instruction sequences, and/or computer program products that embodytechniques of the present disclosure. However, it is understood that thedescribed disclosure may be practiced without these specific details.

Example Fibrous Pellet Processing for Absorbent Media

In one embodiment, an absorbent media is produced from fibrous pellets.However, the fibrous pellet processed absorbent media is not the onlyabsorbent media that may be used. Any of the other absorbent mediadisclosed herein and equivalents may be used in the toilet system.

Fibrous Absorbent Material

A waste absorbing media having an absorbent material is provided for usewith dry toilets. The waste absorbing media can be a fibrous material.In one embodiment, the fibrous material is a wood or cellulose pellet.When existing commercially available pellets make contact with solid orsemi liquid biological waste, the outer plasticized shell limitsabsorption of the surrounding liquid and the shell does not quicklydegrade to allow the finer fibers inside the shell to contact andsubsequently absorb liquids or odors.

In one embodiment, wood and cellulose pellets are used as the absorbentmaterial. To increase the absorbing capacity of the wood or cellulosepellets, for use in the waste absorbing, waste treatment, andcompositing applications herein, the pellets are dried or heated andtreated. First, the wood or cellulose pellets are dried or heated.Examples of drying methods for the pellets include, but are not limitedto, subjecting the pellets to long term low humidity environments,micro-waved, kiln dried, or dried in another fashion. In one embodiment,the pellets are subjected to heating between 200° to 400° Fahrenheit (F)until water vapors or the moisture associated with the pellets haveevaporated or have been minimized. Additionally, oils in the pellets maybe allowed to escape the pellets by heating, such as roasting thepellets at approximately 350° F. until such a time that a small amountof charring occurs on the outer shell of the pellet. Though, othertemperatures may be used that allows for the roasting and charring ofthe pellets. It is noted a higher temperature (above 200° F.) degradesthe outer shell of a wood pellet. Therefore, a roasting or dryingtemperature of above 200° F. is desired. During roasting or drying, theappearance of the shell becomes comparatively opaque, which demonstratesa breakdown or weakening of the outer shell. The pellet remains in acompromised but still compressed state. After the pellets are processedwith the heating and/or drying step, the pellets may be allowed to coolto an ambient temperature for further processing.

In an additional embodiment the absorbent material can include clay,sawdust, hydrogels, superabsorbent polymers (SAPs), vermiculite, naturalfibers, zeolites, silica gel, activated carbon, sodium polyacrylate, andcombinations thereof.

Liquid Treatment of Absorbent Material

A liquid solution is created that is then combined with the absorbentmaterial, such as the dried pellets, to create the waste absorbing mediafor use in a composting toilet. This solution may comprise one or moreof enzymes, microbes, aromatic fragrances and a solution of bactericidalcompounds. The solution may contain known ingredients that safely digestwaste. The solution may contain a combination of ingredients that act asa sanitizer, with an amount of antimicrobial agents that prevent theproliferation of bacteria, viruses, yeasts, fungi, and other harmfulpathogens.

In an embodiment, where the absorbing formulation is used as asanitization composition, a sufficient quantity of antimicrobial,bactericidal, or other sanitization compounds can be included to inhibitthe proliferation of pathogens or kill pathogens to allow for the safetransportation and disposal of any waste product and the absorbingcompound that has been in contact with the waste product. In anotherembodiment, a solution designed for a homeowner may contain only naturalenzymes and bacteria to allow for ease of disposing of the waste safely,such as on a user's own property.

The liquid solution may contain a detergent, an acid (such as aceticacid), a surfactant, hydrogen peroxide, sodium per carbonate, methanol,ethanol, or any combination of detergent, acid, methanol, and/orethanol. Alternatively, the liquid solution could be any commerciallyviable bactericide, waste treatment, malodor treatment, enzymaticsolution or any combination of bactericide, waste treatment, malodortreatment, and/or enzymatic solution.

The liquid solution is combined with the fibrous pellet absorbent mediato allow its absorption into the pellets, or absorbent material, tocreate the waste absorbing media. The liquid is exposed to the pelletsfor a sufficient amount of time for absorption (liquid absorptioncycle). In one embodiment, the combination of the liquid and pellets canbe accomplished through the pellets being added to a container thatincludes the liquid solution for an amount of time sufficient for theabsorption and creation of the waste absorbing media. In anotherembodiment, the liquid solution can be sprayed on the pellets allowingfor the absorption or adhesion of the liquid solution to the absorbentmaterial.

As the pellets complete the liquid absorption cycle the pellets willbegin to breakdown. The breakdown or disintegration rate, and amount, ofthe pellets are dependent upon the composition of the pellets and thecomposition of the liquid solution. The acid content, volatility, orother properties of the liquid ingredient effects absorption of theliquid solution and breakdown of the pellets. An example using typicalpine pellets and a liquid solution comprising vinegar results in a rapidand large breakdown of the pellets. In comparison, a liquid solutioncomprising methanol results in a much slower and smaller breakdownratio.

In another embodiment, an amount of the liquid solution and pellets canbe added to the desired packaging material and sealed with the indicatorto create the waste absorbing media with communication capabilitieswithin the package. In this example, the liquid solution is or includesan anti-corrosive additive to prevent premature corrosion of theindicator within the sealed package. An example of an anti-corrosiveadditive is mineral oil or vegetable oil. An example of ananti-corrosive liquid is methanol.

The benefits of the disclosed method of compromising the structuralintegrity of the compressed pellet by heating or drying the pellets andthen adding a liquid solution include:

-   -   minimizing dust contamination in the processing facility reduces        worker exposure;    -   the absence of mechanical crushing machines results in a        finished product that requires less energy to produce this low        cost process takes advantage of energy already consumed in the        pellet manufacturing process; and    -   the natural absorbing substance can be embedded with a more        desirable liquid.

Packaging and Delivery

Once the fibrous pellet absorbent media has been processed as describedabove, an amount of pellets, for example, in the range of between 60 mlto 240 ml, are placed in a plastic sleeve, a paper sleeve with a liquidimpermeable coating, or other suitable packaging. It may be preferablethat sequenced filling of ingredients be observed to ensure properlayering such that the indicator is sufficiently dispersed among thedried pellets. In one example of a single-use waste-composting packetfor use with a waterless toilet, 100 ml of pellets are placed into a 200ml packaging sleeve, and 0.1 ml to 10.0 ml of the indicator is addedinto the package. In another example, a 200 ml packaging sleeve isfilled with 100 ml of fibrous pellet absorbent media and 0.01 grams to30.0 grams of indicator. The sleeve can be sealed once all material isadded to prevent corrosion of the indicator. The packaging sleeve nowcontains waste absorbing media with communication capabilities.

The packaging process may also include providing nutrients for enzymesor bacteria into the packaging sleeve suited for natural decompositionof waste. A relatively small amount of bacteria and/or enzymes may becultured and multiplied while inside the packaging sleeve. After aperiod of time, the nutrient/biologically active composition in thepackaging sleeve may be cultured to maturity.

The waste absorbing media with communication capabilities included inthe package contains absorbing fibers, or absorbent material, that arefine enough to cling to solid or semi-solid human waste, medium sizegrains/pellets that both cling to solid or semi-solid waste and rapidlydecay into small fibers when wetted, and larger pellets that have acompromised outer shell that rapidly decay into small fibers in thepresence of high humidity. In a toilet system that employs non-directcontact agitation with the waste absorbing media, the mechanical pulsesof the toilet system aid in further pellet decomposition prior todefecation or urination into the toilet bag. This pre-decomposition oflarger pellets aids in covering a large surface area of the bottom ofthe toilet bag. This is especially helpful in ensuring a high amount ofblending by preventing solid waste from clinging to the floor of thebag. In one embodiment, the pellets that contain wood or cellulosefibers have been slightly charred in the drying process, and traceamounts of creosote are present for aroma and bactericidalcharacteristics.

Additionally, the waste absorbing media may contain a solution ofingredients that are beneficial to the waste disposal or compostingprocess. These ingredients may include anti-dusting, surfactants,reactants, fragrance, bactericidal, or organic compounds.

Pre-Agitation in Indirect Contact Toilet

Upon depositing the fibrous-type pellet absorbent media, indicator, andoptional treatment (collectively, “formulation”) into the toilet, thetoilet control circuit optionally can activate the agitation device fora pre-agitation stage. The control circuit activates the pre-agitationwhile the formulation is deposited into the receiving bowl, bag, orother container of the toilet. During this time, the formulation isencouraged onto a relatively large surface area on the floor of the bagresting upon the bottom member. This pre-agitation also causes largercompromised fibrous pellet absorbent media to break apart further.Additionally, during this time the formulation has decompressed furtherand dehumidified. The dehumidifying and decomposition of the formulationis dependent on the composition of the fibrous pellet absorbent media,the viscosity and volatility of the liquid solution used in themanufacture of the formulation, ambient conditions in the immediateenvironment, and wait time until liquid, semi liquid, or solid waste isintroduced into the formulation.

Exemplary Methods of Using the Waste Absorbent Media

After the formulation is spilled into the receiving bowl, toilet bag, orother container of the toilet by the user, detected by the indicatorsensor(s), and determined to be present by the control circuit 118, manyscenarios arise for the formulation.

Scenario 1: Urine is Introduced Only. When urine is introduced into theformulation, the small particles of the fibrous pellet absorbent mediaact as instant absorbers. The medium size particles of the fibrouspellet absorbent media can further decompose and absorb urine at aslightly slower rate. These medium size particles reduce or lose theability to remain bonded together. The medium grains breakdown throughabsorption and due to the acid typically present in urine. The largersize particles of the fibrous pellet absorbent media are mostly intactand are the last component that decomposes in the presence of urine.When compared to a wood pellet that has not under gone the disclosedmanufacturing process, the compromised fibrous pellet absorbent media inthis formulation will decompose and absorb liquid urine at least twotimes faster than an unprocessed pellet of the same origins. In someembodiments, the larger fibrous pellet absorbent media pellets in thisformulation decompose and absorb liquid urine at least five times fasterthan a wood pellet not subjected to the disclosed process. Once urinehas been introduced into this formulation, the formulation/urinecombination is displaced over a large matrix area. This formulation,especially when subjected to indirect mechanical or other physicalmanipulation, creates an environment and state suited for accelerateddrying of liquids. Additionally, the formulation is not conducive toclumping or re-bonding to itself. The resulting mass is easilymanipulated by indirect mechanical agitation. This damp mass will havedisplaced a concentrated liquid solution of malodor or other treatmentingredients over virtually its entirety by blending with liquid urine.In this scenario, the indicator is dampened by urine but remains withina detection field of the indicator sensor and largely intact at leastinitially.

Scenario #2—Dry Waste Only. In this example, the fibrous pelletabsorbent media includes small, medium, and large sized pellets. Uponintroduction of solid waste with low liquid content, the small fibers inthe fibrous pellet absorbent media cling to the solid waste. Generally,relatively dry solid waste emits less odor than liquid or semi liquidwaste. Medium sized pellets in the fibrous pellet absorbent media willbegin to decompose and cling to the warm solid waste with increasedagitation. Eventually, the agitation produced by the agitation device ofthe toilet will encourage the medium and large sized pellets topenetrate the softer but relatively dry solid waste. Over a period oftime, even the larger but compromised pellets will begin to decomposeinto smaller fibers capable of further absorption. It is noted theindicator in this scenario may be removed from the proximity sensingfield by means of clinging to even relatively dry waste. In thiscondition, the formulation may or may not be suited for further use.

Scenario #3—Semi Liquid Waste. In this scenario, semi-liquid waste thatis typically odorous is introduced into the formulation. The smalldecomposed fibers rapidly cling to semi liquid waste. The medium pelletsof the fibrous pellet absorbent media rapidly cling and break down aswell. The large pellets of the fibrous pellet absorbent mediacompromised by this processing process described above cling to semiliquid waste but aren't immediately decomposed into small fibers. Overtime, the large compromised pellets breakdown and absorb remainingliquids and malodor. In this scenario, the indicator compound of thefibrous pellet absorbent media clings to the semi liquid waste.

Scenario #4—Vomit. In this scenario, vomit is introduced into a wastemanagement device such as an indirect contact agitating toilet. Theformulation is spilled into a toilet bag prior to the introduction ofwarm, vomitous substances. As in prior scenarios, the fine fibers of theformulation absorb liquid from vomit on contact. Medium pellets andlarger pellets compromised by the above-referenced processing processare decompressed and decomposed almost instantly by vomitous fluids,especially vomitous fluids containing large amounts of stomach acids.Trace amounts of lignin or trace amounts of artificial glues used in thepelletizing process are susceptible to rapid decomposition when exposedto acids. In this scenario, the indicator may be rapidly corroded,dissolved, or otherwise compromised.

Scenario #5—Combinations—Repeated Use. When considering many scenariosassociated with a dry toilet, it is important to recognize the behaviorof the fibrous pellet absorbent media and indicator. For example, whenscenario #3 is introduced first, then Scenario #1 occurs, the indicatormay tend to detach from the semi liquid waste. When urine is added tothe composition of semi liquid waste, absorbent media, and indicator, aloosening of bonds may occur. This activity has a dispersing effect onthe formulation's ingredients. A wetting and lower density result mayallow the indicator to migrate in a concentrated form. The introductionof the urine will begin an accelerated corrosion of the indicator inthis example.

Detecting Compatible Media

Yet another advantage of the disclosure is the ability for a toilet todetect the suitability of an original dose of the formulation to bereused. For example, a one-use package is deposited into a bag for thetoilet. The new one-use dose of the formulation is capable of absorbingand treating 200 ml of urine from emitting odor. In this scenario, only40 ml of urine is added. Absorbing and odor control are easilyaccomplished, and the fibrous pellet absorbent media completelydecomposes. However, the indicator is only exposed to a mild corrosiveeffect. The indicator will remain intact for subsequent use. The controlcircuit of the toilet may be configured to detect this event and allowrepeated subsequent use of the original dose of the formulation.

Alternative Absorbent Fibrous Material

Alternative examples of absorbent media would be corn cob, walnut,sawdust, silica sand, or gel as well as super absorbing polymers and thelike. Such examples can consist of consistent or random particle sizes.

Adhering the Indicator

It is also contemplated that the indicator could be adhered to orimpregnated on absorbent media particles. In such embodiments, indicatorsensor calibration may be required.

It is believed that the present disclosure and many of its attendantadvantages will be understood by the foregoing description, and it willbe apparent that various changes may be made in the form, constructionand arrangement of the components without departing from the disclosedsubject matter or without sacrificing all of its material advantages.The form described is merely explanatory, and it is the intention of thefollowing claims to encompass and include such changes.

While the present disclosure has been described with reference tovarious embodiments, it will be understood that these embodiments areillustrative and that the scope of the disclosure is not limited tothem. Many variations, modifications, additions, and improvements arepossible. More generally, embodiments in accordance with the presentdisclosure have been described in the context of particularimplementations. Functionality may be separated or combined in blocksdifferently in various embodiments of the disclosure or described withdifferent terminology. These and other variations, modifications,additions, and improvements may fall within the scope of the disclosureas defined in the claims that follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A toilet apparatus comprising: a waste materialreceiving bowl having an opening to receive an absorbent media andindicator; a sensor to detect a presence of the indicator in thematerial receiving bowl when the indicator is present in the materialreceiving bowl and transmit a signal indicating the indicator is presentin the material receiving bowl; and a control circuit to receive thesignal from the sensor, process the signal to determine the indicator ispresent in the material receiving bowl, and cause one or more actions bythe toilet apparatus when the indicator is present in the materialreceiving bowl.
 2. The toilet apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controlcircuit causes the one or more actions to be taken by at least one of:transmitting a control signal to the agitation device to cause theagitation device to turn off, transmitting the control signal to theagitation device to cause the agitation device to keep off, transmittingthe control signal to the agitation device to cause the agitation deviceto turn on for a selected amount of time, transmitting the controlsignal to the agitation device to cause the agitation device to turn onfor a selected amount of time and then transmitting another controlsignal to the agitation device to cause the agitation device to off,transmitting the control signal to the dispenser to cause the dispenserto dispense absorbent media; transmitting the control signal to thedispenser to cause the dispenser to not dispense absorbent media;transmitting the control signal to the dispenser to cause the dispenserto dispense indicator; transmitting the control signal to the dispenserto cause the dispenser to not dispense indicator; transmitting thecontrol signal to an audio, visual, tactile, and/or haptic device of thetoilet to cause the audio, visual, tactile, and/or haptic device of thetoilet to generate an audio, visual, tactile, and/or haptic alert,and/or transmitting information to be displayed on a display.
 3. Thetoilet apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control circuit processes thesignal to determine, based on data in the signal, an amount of theindicator that is detected by the sensor and determines the one or moreactions based, in part, on determining the amount of the indicatordetected in the detection zone of the sensor.
 4. The toilet apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein the control circuit processes the signal to determine,based on data in the signal, an amount of the indicator that is detectedby the sensor, determines a remaining useful life of the absorbent mediabased on the value or other data in the signal, and determines the oneor more actions when the indicator is present and determining theremaining useful life of the absorbent media.
 5. The toilet apparatus ofclaim 4 wherein the control circuit causes the one or more actions to betaken by at least one of: transmitting a control signal to the agitationdevice to cause the agitation device to turn off, transmitting thecontrol signal to the agitation device to cause the agitation device tokeep off, transmitting the control signal to the agitation device tocause the agitation device to turn on for a selected amount of timecorresponding to the remaining useful life of the absorbent media,transmitting the control signal to the agitation device to cause theagitation device to turn on for a selected amount of time correspondingto the remaining useful life of the absorbent media and thentransmitting another control signal to the agitation device to cause theagitation device to turn off, transmitting the control signal to thedispenser to cause the dispenser to dispense absorbent media;transmitting the control signal to the dispenser to cause the dispenserto not dispense absorbent media; transmitting the control signal to thedispenser to cause the dispenser to dispense indicator; transmitting thecontrol signal to the dispenser to cause the dispenser to not dispenseindicator; transmitting the control signal to an audio, visual, tactile,and/or haptic device of the toilet to cause the audio, visual, tactile,and/or haptic device of the toilet to generate an audio, visual,tactile, and/or haptic alert, transmitting a communication to aninternal or external device indicating the remaining useful life of theabsorbent media is to be displayed, and/or transmitting information tobe displayed on a display.
 6. The toilet apparatus of claim 1 whereinthe control circuit processes the signal to determine, based on data inthe signal, an amount of the indicator that is detected by the sensor,determines a remaining useful life of the absorbent media based on thevalue or other data in the signal, and determines the one or moreactions based, in part, on determining the remaining useful life of theabsorbent media.
 7. The toilet apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controlcircuit determines a current state of corrosion, decay, or dissolve ofthe indicator based on the data in the signal, comparing the currentstate to a known state in which the indicator is not corroded, decayed,or dissolved to determine a percentage of remaining indicator, anddetermining a remaining useful life of the absorbent media by using thepercentage of remaining indicator as a corresponding percentage ofremaining useful life of the absorbent media.
 8. The toilet apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein the sensor comprises a proximity sensor that detects apresence of the indicator within a proximity of the sensor and/or anamount of the indicator present within the proximity of the sensor. 9.The toilet apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sensor detects a presence ofthe indicator within a detection zone of the sensor and/or an amount ofthe indicator present within the detection zone of the sensor.
 10. Thetoilet apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises at least one ofan inductive, capacitive, or magnetic field sensing sensor that candetect an inductance, capacitance, or magnetic field corresponding to anamount of the indicator present in a detection zone of the sensor. 11.The toilet apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sensor detects acharacteristic of the indicator that causes the indicator to be reducedor eliminated immediately or over time.
 12. The toilet apparatus ofclaim 11 wherein the characteristic of the indicator comprises at leastone of corrosion, dissolving, decay, and rusting.
 13. The toiletapparatus of claim 1 wherein the indicator comprises at least one of aferrous material, a ferromagnetic material, a nonferrous metal, and analloy.
 14. The toilet apparatus of claim 1 wherein the indicatorcomprises at least one of a biologic, a paramagnetic compound, anddiamagnetic compound.
 15. The toilet apparatus of claim 1 wherein theindicator comprises a characteristic that causes the indicator to bereduced or eliminated immediately or over time.
 16. The toilet apparatusof claim 15 wherein the characteristic of the indicator comprises atleast one of corrosion, dissolving, decay, and rusting.
 17. The toiletapparatus of claim 1 further comprising an indicator concentratingelement that concentrates the indicator at, in, or through a detectionzone of the sensor.
 18. The toilet apparatus of claim 17 wherein theindicator concentrating element attracts the indicator the indicator at,in, or through the detection zone of the sensor.
 19. The toiletapparatus of claim 17 wherein the indicator concentrating element ismagnetic to attract a ferromagnetic indicator.
 20. The toilet apparatusof claim 17 wherein the indicator concentrating element is a non-ferrousplate having ferrous material attracting properties.
 21. The toiletapparatus of claim 17 wherein the indicator concentrating element isplaced at least one of at an interior of the material receiving bowl, atan exterior of the material receiving bowl, and at a bottom portion ofthe material receiving bowl.
 22. The toilet apparatus of claim 1 whereinthe opening is at the top of the waste material receiving bowl.
 23. Thetoilet apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a bag to receive andretain waste material, the absorbent media, and the indicator whenintroduced through the opening.
 24. The toilet apparatus of claim 1further comprising an agitation device to agitate the absorbent media,the indicator, and the waste material to cause the absorbent media to atleast substantially cover the waste material while the agitation deviceis not contacting the absorbent media and the waste material.
 25. Thetoilet apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an agitation device toagitate the absorbent media, the indicator, and the waste material at alower portion of the bag to cause the absorbent media to at leastsubstantially cover the waste material while the agitation device is notcontacting the absorbent media and the waste material.
 26. A method fora toilet apparatus comprising: providing a waste material receiving bowlhaving an opening to receive an absorbent media and indicator;detecting, with a sensor, a presence of the indicator in the materialreceiving bowl when the indicator is present in the material receivingbowl and transmitting a signal indicating the indicator is present inthe material receiving bowl; and receiving the signal from the sensor ata control circuit, processing the signal at the control circuit todetermine the indicator is present in the material receiving bowl, andtransmitting a control signal from the control circuit to cause one ormore actions by a component of the toilet apparatus when the indicatoris present in the material receiving bowl.
 27. The method of claim 26wherein the control circuit causes the one or more actions to be takenby at least one of: transmitting a control signal to the agitationdevice to cause the agitation device to turn off, transmitting thecontrol signal to the agitation device to cause the agitation device tokeep off, transmitting the control signal to the agitation device tocause the agitation device to turn on for a selected amount of time,transmitting the control signal to the agitation device to cause theagitation device to turn on for a selected amount of time and thentransmitting another control signal to the agitation device to cause theagitation device to off, transmitting the control signal to thedispenser to cause the dispenser to dispense absorbent media;transmitting the control signal to the dispenser to cause the dispenserto not dispense absorbent media; transmitting the control signal to thedispenser to cause the dispenser to dispense indicator; transmitting thecontrol signal to the dispenser to cause the dispenser to not dispenseindicator; transmitting the control signal to an audio, visual, tactile,and/or haptic device of the toilet to cause the audio, visual, tactile,and/or haptic device of the toilet to generate an audio, visual,tactile, and/or haptic alert, and/or transmitting information to bedisplayed on a display.
 28. The method of claim 26 wherein the controlcircuit processes the signal to determine, based on data in the signal,an amount of the indicator that is detected by the sensor and determinesthe one or more actions based on, at least in part, determining theamount of the indicator detected in the detection zone of the sensor.29. The method of claim 26 wherein the control circuit processes thesignal to determine, based on data in the signal, an amount of theindicator that is detected by the sensor, determines a remaining usefullife of the absorbent media based on the value or other data in thesignal, and determines the one or more actions when the indicator ispresent and determining the remaining useful life of the absorbentmedia.
 30. The toilet apparatus of claim 29 wherein the control circuitcauses the one or more actions to be taken by at least one of:transmitting a control signal to the agitation device to cause theagitation device to turn off, transmitting the control signal to theagitation device to cause the agitation device to keep off, transmittingthe control signal to the agitation device to cause the agitation deviceto turn on for a selected amount of time corresponding to the remaininguseful life of the absorbent media, transmitting the control signal tothe agitation device to cause the agitation device to turn on for aselected amount of time corresponding to the remaining useful life ofthe absorbent media and then transmitting another control signal to theagitation device to cause the agitation device to turn off, transmittingthe control signal to the dispenser to cause the dispenser to dispenseabsorbent media; transmitting the control signal to the dispenser tocause the dispenser to not dispense absorbent media; transmitting thecontrol signal to the dispenser to cause the dispenser to dispenseindicator; transmitting the control signal to the dispenser to cause thedispenser to not dispense indicator; transmitting the control signal toan audio, visual, tactile, and/or haptic device of the toilet to causethe audio, visual, tactile, and/or haptic device of the toilet togenerate an audio, visual, tactile, and/or haptic alert, transmitting acommunication to an internal or external device indicating the remaininguseful life of the absorbent media is to be displayed, and/ortransmitting information to be displayed on a display.
 31. The method ofclaim 26 wherein the control circuit processes the signal to determine,based on data in the signal, an amount of the indicator that is detectedby the sensor, determines a remaining useful life of the absorbent mediabased on the value or other data in the signal, and determines the oneor more actions when the indicator is present and determining theremaining useful life of the absorbent media.
 32. The method of claim 26wherein the control circuit determines a current state of corrosion,decay, or dissolve of the indicator based on the data in the signal,comparing the current state to a known state in which the indicator isnot corroded, decayed, or dissolved to determine a percentage ofremaining indicator, and determining a remaining useful life of theabsorbent media by using the percentage of remaining indicator as acorresponding percentage of remaining useful life of the absorbentmedia.
 33. The method of claim 26 further comprising detecting apresence of the indicator within a proximity of the sensor and/or anamount of the indicator present within the proximity of the sensor. 34.The method of claim 26 further comprising detecting a presence of theindicator within a detection zone of the sensor and/or an amount of theindicator present within the detection zone of the sensor.
 35. Themethod of claim 26 further comprising using at least one of aninductive, capacitive, or magnetic field sensing sensor to detect aninductance, capacitance, or magnetic field corresponding to an amount ofthe indicator present in a detection zone of the sensor.
 36. The methodof claim 26 further comprising detecting a characteristic of theindicator that causes the indicator to be reduced or eliminatedimmediately or over time.
 37. The method of claim 26 further comprisingdetecting a characteristic of the indicator that causes the indicator tobe reduced or eliminated immediately or over time, wherein thecharacteristic of the indicator comprises at least one of corrosion,dissolving, decay, and rusting.
 38. The method of claim 26 wherein theindicator is selected from at least one of a ferrous material, aferromagnetic material, a nonferrous metal, and an alloy.
 39. The methodof claim 26 wherein the indicator is selected from at least one of abiologic, a paramagnetic compound, and diamagnetic compound.
 40. Themethod of claim 26 wherein the indicator is selected with acharacteristic that causes the indicator to be reduced or eliminatedimmediately or over time.
 41. The method of claim 26 wherein theindicator is selected with a characteristic that causes the indicator tobe reduced or eliminated immediately or over time, and thecharacteristic of the indicator comprises at least one of corrosion,dissolving, decay, and rusting.
 42. The method of claim 26 furthercomprising using an indicator concentrating element that concentratesthe indicator at, in, or through a detection zone of the sensor.
 43. Themethod of claim 42 wherein the indicator concentrating element attractsthe indicator the indicator at, in, or through the detection zone of thesensor.
 44. The method of claim 42 wherein the indicator concentratingelement attracts a ferromagnetic indicator.
 45. The method of claim 42wherein the indicator concentrating element is selected as a non-ferrousplate having ferrous material attracting properties.
 46. The method ofclaim 42 wherein the indicator concentrating element is placed at leastone of at an interior of the material receiving bowl, at an exterior ofthe material receiving bowl, and at a bottom portion of the materialreceiving bowl.
 47. The method of claim 26 wherein the opening is at thetop of the waste material receiving bowl.
 48. The method of claim 26further comprising providing a bag to receive and retain waste material,the absorbent media, and the indicator when introduced through theopening.
 49. The method of claim 26 further comprising agitating theabsorbent media, the indicator, and the waste material to cause theabsorbent media to at least substantially cover the waste material whilethe agitation device is not contacting the absorbent media and the wastematerial.
 50. The method of claim 26 further comprising agitating theabsorbent media, the indicator, and the waste material at a lowerportion of the bag to cause the absorbent media to at leastsubstantially cover the waste material while the agitation device is notcontacting the absorbent media and the waste material.